


This is a Complete Let Down (Except It Really Isn’t)

by magique



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-05-17
Updated: 2009-05-17
Packaged: 2017-10-09 22:20:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/92225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magique/pseuds/magique
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin was expecting it to be a big deal. Apparently, it really, really isn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This is a Complete Let Down (Except It Really Isn’t)

**Author's Note:**

> This is what I want to happen in the reveal. Absolutely no fricking question. It can vary, but I want Arthur to already know. HE HAS TO KNOOOOOOW.

Merlin was kind of expecting a great reveal—a Great Reveal, even. Not necessarily in front of a mass of people whose lives he’d just saved in a really, really spectacular way (though he wouldn’t have complained, if he was honest; he wasn’t being fussy about this). It’s just that—well. After keeping a secret like his for the length of time he had, he’d kind of been expecting a _reaction_.

Arthur, because he is extraordinarily good at not doing what Merlin is expecting especially in a subconscious and mean-spirited way, is a disappointment. Because, right, Merlin goes storming into his chambers _physically_ _unable_ to lie anymore because it _hurts_ to lie to Arthur and it _sucks_ to have to rein in his magic in the middle of _mind-blowing orgasms_, okay? And he spent almost twelve hours he could have been sleeping or working or wandering around aimlessly sitting on his bed and going _insane_ trying to decide if he was about to do something Very, Very Stupid or Very, Very Wise to the point where maybe, just _maybe_, that mental affliction rumour going around was starting to feel true—and, and Arthur gives him, gives him _what_?

Nothing.

_Oh, whatever, Merlin, already knew _that_. Meant to be a secret, was it? Nice work there, idiot._  
  
Nothing! What the _hell_. Merlin humiliated himself _repeatedly_ trying to explain away conveniently falling branches and random concussions and suddenly, unexplainably very dead beasts while Arthur probably laughed himself sick.

So Merlin feels pretty damn justified when he yells, “You _knew_?”

And Arthur just says, “You weren’t exactly subtle, Merlin,” like it’s _no big deal_.

Yeah, okay, so Merlin knows that this isn’t actually a _bad_ way for The Reveal to go. Arthur won’t treat him any differently (he’d actually been prepared to start _missing_ the patronising insults and slanders to his mental capacity) and Arthur certainly isn’t running for Uther shrieking, “Magic user! Magic user in the castle!” But it’s the _principle_ of it:

“You never said anything!”

Arthur shrugs. “I was waiting for you to tell me.”

Oh.

“I wanted to,” Merlin says, because he did and always has, and Arthur nods. 

“Of course, I was angry at first,” Arthur continues. He rises from his chair and moves to stand before Merlin. “But I understand why you didn’t. You didn’t want to force me to choose between you and my father. It was...surprisingly noble of you.”

That is a very good reason for Merlin to have not told Arthur and kind of not at all the real one, which is much more that hiding it had become a habit and that Arthur is ridiculously unpredictable when he is angry, so Merlin shrugs absently and says, “Er. Yes.”

Then Arthur moves back to his dinner (which Merlin had forgotten to bring him) and props his feet in front of the fire (which Merlin certainly hadn’t kindled) and says something scathing about Merlin’s mental health again and smiles the smile that makes whatever he said kind of true temporarily.

Later, Arthur will fuck him against the table and various objects will soar around the room and Arthur will say, “Huh. What else can you do with that magic of yours then?” But for now Merlin sits by his feet and polishes his boots and feels like an enormous weight has been lifted from his heart in the best way possible.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm whatevermortal on [tumblr](http://whatevermortal.tumblr.com/) &amp; also [dreamwidth](http://whatevermortal.dreamwidth.org/) and i _always_ want new fandom buddies on both yo


End file.
